The strangest smartphone of this year is coming to the Czech Republic. It offers a weird shape and also „free internet“

If you lay ten smartphones on a table today, you’d only distinguish them by their logo. The iKKO MindOne Pro is an exception — a compact device with a square body, a flip-up camera, and its own AI system turns its back on the mainstream. And now also to Czech customers: it will appear on Alza in June for 12,999 CZK.

The phone originated from a crowdfunding campaign that collected over 31 million CZK in conversion, and its introduction to the Czech market reflects this. iKKO positions its product as a contrast to everything we’re used to with Android — instead of a race for screen diagonal, it strives to fit into the palm of your hand and the smallest pocket.

Phone with a single flip-up camera

The dimensions speak for themselves: 86 × 72 × 8.9 mm and 136 grams. The body has a metal frame, glass back, and a fingerprint reader in the side button. On the front is a 4.02″ AMOLED display with a resolution of 1240 × 1080 px, a refresh rate of 90 Hz, and 9H hardness sapphire glass — which is truly a rarity in smartphones. Sapphire resists scratches better than classic tempered glass, but on the other hand, it’s more fragile upon impact, so avoid drops either way.

Instead of two cameras, iKKO makes do with one. The flip-up 50Mpx Sony sensor with a size of 1/1.56″, aperture f/1.88, and optical stabilization rotates 180 degrees and locks at any angle. Taking landscape photos or shooting a vlog? The same lens, no qualitative difference between front and rear shots. The concept is interesting, but the result, according to initial foreign reviews, is only average — the mechanism is more inventive than the photos themselves.

Two operating systems and free internet — with an asterisk

The software is the most interesting part. MindOne Pro runs in parallel on two operating systems: classic Android 15 with Google services and its own iKKO AI OS, which is optimized for one-handed control and focusing on AI tasks. You switch between systems with a physical button, and selected applications can be transferred between them. AI functions speak Czech and can handle call transcription, meeting summaries, simultaneous translation, and dictation of notes — without extra charges and without collecting personal data, as iKKO promises.

The slogan about free internet worldwide resonates most in marketing. However, caution is needed here. The built-in NovaLink service indeed works immediately after activation in 60 countries, including the Czech Republic, but it covers only AI functions, not full web browsing or streaming. For that, you’ll pay extra via the built-in vSIM (data plan in 140 countries) or use a classic nano SIM, a slot for which is available. The idea is appealing, but it’s not a complete replacement for a regular data plan.

What will hurt

Under the hood, an octa-core MediaTek MT8781 (i.e., Helio G99) works with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. This is sufficient for everyday use, but borderline for computationally intensive real-time AI tasks — a foreign reviewer describes noticeable lags, especially when working with AI, where one would expect the smoothest experience from the phone’s concept. The battery has a capacity of only 2,200 mAh and, according to initial tests, drains faster than average during intensive use; charging handles 18 W. The speakers are also said to be weaker, and due to the protruding camera module, the phone wobbles slightly on a table.

The promise of updates is a pleasant surprise — the manufacturer promises three major Android updates and five years of security patches, which is certainly not a given for a crowdfunding phone. The question remains how a small brand will fulfill this commitment compared to established players. As a bonus, you can purchase a Snap-in Case with a physical QWERTY keyboard, a Hi-Fi DAC from Cirrus Logic, a 3.5mm jack, and an additional 500 mAh battery — a combination that turns the phone into a strangely charming gadget.

The MindOne Pro is not a phone for everyone, and iKKO doesn’t pretend it is. It’s an alternative for people tired of 6.7-inch rectangles who want to stand out from the crowd — and don’t mind paying for originality with a compromise in performance, camera, and battery life. At 12,999 CZK, this is a price an established brand would ask for a standard mid-range phone. Here, however, you definitely won’t get anything standard.

Would you swap a classic large phone for an experimental card-sized device with AI features?

Source: Alza.cz